Bottle capper



April 18, 1933. H LE'BHERZ 1,903,822'

BOTTLE GAPPER Filed Sept. 5, 1930 Y bottle capping vide a Patented pr. 1'8, 1.933Y

yUNITED STA TiasV PATENT' olf-"Free HARRY J. LiiBHEnz; oF FREDERICK', MARYLAND, assIcNn To 'rmi EVEREDY coil(` PANY, OF FREDERICK, MARYLAN Y ABO'I'I'LE applicati@ mea' september My invention relates ping tools and more particularly to a bottle capper having means for adjusting the capbottles of different sizes.

One of the objects of my invention is tof construction of bottle capping tool provide a employing Va ram adapted to be pressed downwardly upon a bottle for applying a crownV cap thereto with means for regulating. the

operative. position of the ram with'rrespect to a bottle.

Another object of my invention is to proconstruction of gear adapted to be move-d into or out of mesh with the ram of a upon bottles of different sizes. A further object of my invention 1s to pro vide a construction of slide gear for-bottle capping tools having a pair of limiting abutments and rack teeth cut therein for regulating the position and limiting the movement of the ram in abottle capping tool.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the construction of actuating igearE for a` bottle capping tool as set forth morev the specification hereinafter followmy 'engaged relation Fig. 3 is a view disengaged from the-ram to actuating gear enable the ram to be ad]usted for operation with respect to the ram;=

of the capper on different sized bottles; Fig. 4i is a fragmentary cross-sectional view'of the en on Vline 4-4of .f

ram. and actuating gear ta Fig. '5; Fig. 5 isa cross-sectional view of the ram and actuating gear taken online 5-5 of- Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ram and actuating gear with the actuating gear shifted to disengaged position,- the view Y being taken on line 6-6 of Fig..7 g 7 is a horizontal sectional view `taken online 7-7 of Fig. 6 showing the actuating gear shifted -out of engagement with the ram in a position broadly to bottle captool for enabling ,the ram to be adjusted to selected positions for operation Fig. 2 is a., front elevation of the bottlel capping -tool of invention showing the actuatinggear in` of the bottle capper with the'v D; a CORPORATION; or MA'nYLANn :minimi` l I. l5, 1936. serial No. 430,008.

by which the ram may be vertically fiiiljiisteflu andFig. 8 isa perspective view 'sho-wing the actuatingV gearemployed for adjusting' the rain in the bottle capper of my 'inventioiif n In my copending applicationV SerialfNof,

399,259, iled'October'12, 1929,71' have described a'rack type of bottlecapper which I have described as 'l a`v gear top capper. My present invention relates to animproved form of actuating gear for a capper of theV general construction set forth in theaforesaid applicationjby'which the cappingramV mayl'be readily adjustedto a selected .positiontoffaf cilitatethe'applying of crown ca-psto bottles of'dif-erentsizes. l

I provide an elongated shaft member adapted to extend horizontally through the head ofthe Vbottle capping tool normal to the axisofthe ram. The elongatedA shaft member is provided with ing teeth throughout a portion of its'length adaptedto mesh with the teeth formed ori-the ram.' When the llaterally extending Yshaft member is shifted Isidewise the teeth thereon are disengaged from the teeth on the rack enabling ,ther rack toY be adjusted freely through the head of the bottle 'cappingtool to alp'ositionconforming to thev size of the" bottle which is beingcapped. Whenthe' lateral- 1y extending shaftisrestored to normal posif tion the teeth thereon engage the teethfon the rackv permitting the bottle capping tool'to be successively operated." Y The actuating shaft is provided with opposed limiting stops providing abutments which limit the stroke of the actuating lever. In the bottle capping tool of -my present invention it is unnecessary to remove the actuating parts as was the case in the construction of 'my applicationl aforesaid vlongitudinally extend` forl effecting anadjustnient .of theV capping laterally extending portion adjacent the vertically extending head 3. The portion 5 is drilled from the right side thereof toward the left side thereof as represented at 4. The left wall of the drilled portion 5 is apertured as represented at 26 to receive the elongated laterally projecting shaft 7 which is moved laterally through the rearwardly extending portion 5 in assembling the bottle capping tool. rI`he laterally extending shaft 7 has an enlarged end 6 thereon through which the actuating lever 15 passes. The laterally extending portion of shaft 7 is grooved for providing teeth 20 thereon as shown more clearly in-Fig. 8.

Two annuuarly disposed abutments are provided on the shaft 7 as represented at 20a and 20?) which function as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 4 as limiting stops for the angular throw of the actuating lever 15. A collar 10 is telescopically disposed over the shaft 6 and is provided with a notch 27 therein which engages the projecting end of the angularly disposed actuating lever 15 thus locking the same against casual rotation. One side of the collar 10 terminates in a hook 11 which is engaged by coil spring 12 anchored at 14 on the frame 1. The spring 12 tends to retain the hook 11 in the position illustrated in Fig. l under spring tension. As thel lever 15 is revolved in a counter-clockwise direction for effecting a bottle capping operation the'spring 12 exerts tension on hook 11 for restoring the actuating lever to elevated position after each capping operation. The laterally extending shaft 7 has an annular groove 8 formed in the end thereof which is adapted to be engaged by washer 9 after the actuating shaft has been assembled through the aperture 26 in the rearwardly extending portion 5 of the bottle capper. The washer 9 thereafter serves as an abutment against the accidental removal of the laterally extending shaft 7 when the gear teeth 20 are disengaged from the teeth 18 on the ram 17. The ram 17 carries a bottle capping throat 19 thereon for applying a crown cap to a bottle as represented for example at 28 in Fig. 1. The actuating lever 15 is provided with a hand grip 16 for effecting movement of the.

" actuating lever in performing each bottle A capping operation.

In the operation of the bottle capping tool the laterally extending shaft 7 is shifted toward the right as shown in Fig. 7 to disengage the teeth 20 from the rack teeth 18. The rack 17 is then free to be vertically adjusted as may be desired. When it is desired to maintain the ram in a predetermined position the laterally extending shaft 7 is shifted t0- ward the left thereby effecting an engagey ment between teeth 20 and teeth 18 as shown inA Fig. 5. The upper and lower limits of movement of shaft 7 is determined by the constant force tending to maintain the gear 2O in engagement with the teeth 18 on rack 17 is exerted. That is, when the actuating gear is shifted to disengage the teeth 2O from the rack teeth 18, the spring 12 operates to restore the actuating gear to engagement with the rack at the same time that the spring tends to elevate the lever 15 into bottle capping operation.

The bottle capper construction of my invention has been found to be extremely practical and successful in its operation and while I have described my invention in one of its preferred embodiments I desire that it be understood that modifications may be made and that no limitations are intended other than are imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A bottle capping tool comprising a frame terminating in a vertically positioned head, a ram movable through the head of said frame, a bottle capping throat carried by said ram said head having a rearwardly extending portion comprising a hollow cylindrical member open at one end thereof and apertured at the opposite end thereof, an actuating gear including a shaft member projectible through the open end of said rearwardly extending portion and through the apertured end of said rearwardly extending portion, teeth extending throughout a portion of the length of said shaft member and engageable with teeth formed on said ram when said actuating gear is shifted to a limiting position through the cylindrical rearwardly extending portion of said head, a collar member carried by said shaft member, a tongue extending from said collar member and a coil spring connected between said tongue and a point on said frame, said spring tending to exert axial tension on said shaft member for maintaining the teeth on said shaft member in engagement with the teeth on said ram while continuously urging said ram in an extreme upper position preparatory to a bottle capping operation.

2. A bottle capping tool comprising a frame structure terminating in a vertically disposed head, a ram movable through said head, a bottle capping throat carried by said ram for applying a crown cap to a bottle, said frame having a rearwardly extending portion integrally connected with said head, a shift gear projecting laterally through said rearwardly extending portion, said shift gear having teeth extending throughout a portion of its length adapted to engage teeth formed on said ram, the teeth on said actuating gear being laterally shiftable out of engagement with the teeth on said ram for effecting adjustment in the position of said ram, said Y maintaining said actuating gear in engagei ment with said ram and elevating said ram in bottle capping position.

3. A bottle capping tool comprising a frame structure terminatin in a vertically disposed head, a ram mova le through said head, a bottle capping throat carried by said ram Jfor applying a crown cap to a bottle, a rearwardly extending portion on said frame, a shift gear projecting laterally through said rearwardly extending portion, said shift gear having teeth extending throughout a portion of its length adapted to engage teeth formed on said ram, the teeth on said gear being shiftable out of engagement with the teeth on said ram for eli'ecting a vertical adjustment in the position of said ram, an annular member carried by said shift gear, and spring means extending radially from said annular member toI a point on said frame structure for maintaining said gear in mesh with said ram while exerting a continuous torque on said gear for restoring said ram to the extreme upper position of its stroke after each successive capper operation.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

HARRY J. LEBHERZ. 

